28 August 2013

To ‘Preserve’ An Apartment, Artist Completely Wraps It In Plastic

How would you like your home and things kept after you’ve passed away?

To keep a London apartment the way its late owner left them, artist Iain Baxter& reconfigured his seminal work ‘Bagged Place’ from 1966, and wrapped the entire place and all its content in plastic.

‘Rebecca’s Bagged Place’ is quite possibly an OCD’s dream come true, as no object gets contaminated—everything from utensils and ornamental pieces, to chairs and floors in Rebecca Levy’s home were carefully packed in plastic; as if to keep the artifacts undamaged and free from dirt, and stored the way they were last used.

Rebecca Levy was the last occupant of the apartment since 1918.

When she passed away in 2009, her family decided to donate her London apartment and all its contents intact to non-profit contemporary art exhibition center Raven Row.

Located on the top floor of 56 Artillery Lane, the apartment makes one feel as if time has stopped in the place—as the objects are sealed away to remain preserved, and neither additions nor subtractions to the collection would to be made.

Filled with worn objects previously loved by its late owner, walking around the ‘preserved home’ evokes a sense of mournfulness and familiarity, as they represent things that she was sentimental about, and what she was like—making it seem as if you knew her personally.